


so simple in the moonlight

by orphan_account



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Misgendering, Swing sets, This Is STUPID, Trans Male Character, Transphobic Slur Mention, also it's mentioned that a transphobic slur was used but it's never said what the slur is, and i hate it, idk how to tag, im tagging it anyways just in case, misgendering in the beginning bc davey hasnt figured out he's trans yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 08:40:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10636314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: who knew a swing set could be so depressing? david definitely didn't.





	

**Author's Note:**

> heck man im shit at summaries and titles so ignore that !! the title came from lua by bright eyes bc i lov that song and i had no ideas lmao 
> 
> also ignore my shit writing ,,,,, im an awful writer lmao

_Second grade_

Danielle had been sitting on the swings alone, glancing around at the playground of her new school. She didn't know any of the other kids, and she was too nervous to talk to any of them, so she decided to swing alone. That is, until a boy with blonde hair a missing tooth came up to her, tilting his head to the side much like a curious puppy.

"Why are ya' all alone?" he'd asked, folding his arms over his chest. "Don't ya' got any friends?"

"Um, no, not really," Danielle mumbled. The boy smiled determinedly and sat next to Danielle. 

"Well, ya' do now. My name's Spot."

Danielle smiled back. She liked the idea of having a friend. 

"My name is Danielle."

"I'll call you Dani!" 

-

_Sixth grade_

"Spot, I'm uh... I don't feel like a girl," Danielle admitted, sighing. "I don't like being called a she. It makes me feel weird."

"So you're... a boy?" Spot asked without a single moment of judgement, glancing over at Danielle.

"Yeah, a boy," Danielle said, smiling sheepishly. Spot shrugged.

"Nothin' wrong with that," he said, "Do you have, like, a new name picked out?"

"Uh, well, I didn't really think that far," Danielle admitted, rubbing the back her - no, _his_ \- neck nervously. 

"What about... David?" Spot suggested, and Danielle smiled brightly. 

"I love it," David said, hopping off of his swing to hug Spot tightly. "You're the best friend ever."

"Nah, you already took that place, Davey."

-

_Eight grade_

"I'm going to kill him."

"You'll get suspended, Spot."

"I don't care. He called you a--"

"Please don't repeat his words," David mumbled, interrupting his best friend's antics.

"He called you a-" Soot cleared his throat, "-derogatory slur for trans people." 

"Please don't get involved in this," David mumbled, glancing down at the mulch-covered ground beneath the swings. "I don't want you to get hurt, Spotty."

"I won't get hurt! I put up a real good fight, Davey, I swear! Let me get 'im back!"

"No." David sighed. "You'll get in too much trouble."

"Fine. But I'm gonna talk to him at the least."

"You don't have to do that, Spot." David glanced over at Spot. "Really, I'm fine."

"Fine," Spot caved. "But if he says anything else or does anything else, I'm gonna soak 'im." 

-

_Junior year of high school_

"I wonder if we look weird." Spot sent a curious glance to David. "I mean, like, we're two teenagers hanging out on an elementary school playground's swing set."

"We probably do look weird," Spot replied, shrugging. "Oh well. I like it here."

Spot smiled, grabbing David's hand and intertwining their fingers. David told himself it was nothing romantic - they always held hands. It was a friendly gesture, David told himself for the hundredth time. But that didn't stop a faint blush from covering his face as he stared down at their intertwined fingers. 

"It's getting late," David spoke up, but he made no effort to leave. Spot shrugged. 

"It's a weekend."

"My parents might get worried."

"Let 'em worry, then." Spot turned to look at David, an easy smile on his face. David sighed, returning the smile before realizing just how close he now was to Spot. Their faces were mere centimeters apart, and David failed to remember when they had even moved so close. 

David didn't have much time to think about it before chapped lips were on his own and hands were cupping his face, deepening the kiss in an almost desperate fashion. The position was awkward, considering that they were still on the swing set, and the kiss ended abruptly when Spot fell off his swing. 

David glanced down at Spot, his face flushed as he laughed at Spot's tumble. Spot glared at him playfully, sitting up and pulling David down with him. David lied on the mulch, laughter filling the air. After the laughter died down, Spot lied with his head in David's lap, David's fingers running through Spot's hair as silence filled the space around them. The only sounds to be heard were birds chirping in the distance and the occasional gust of wind disturbing the tree branches. 

"So... You kissed me," David mumbled, breaking the pleasant silence that had previously fallen over the two. 

"I love you a lot, ya' know that, right?" Spot asked, staring up at David through his eyelashes. 

"Like... as a friend?"

"David, I just kissed you. Put the pieces together here." 

"Oh! Um, well, I love you too," David stammered out awkwardly, his cheeks turning a dark red. 

"I'm surprised you didn't notice sooner," Spot admitted, laughing. "I thought I was real obvious."

"Spot, you keep at least seventy emotional walls around yourself at all times. There's no way I could have known." David laughed. "I thought I was the obvious one, blushing every time you even came close to me."

"Huh. Never noticed that. Wish I had, though. You're cute when you're flustered." David laughed sheepishly, his blush only deepening as Spot continued talking. 

They parted with a goodnight kiss that evening. 

-

_The day after high school graduation_

"Well, we're out of hell," Spot joked as he sat on his swing, grinning widely. David kissed Spot's cheek. 

"Now we get to go to a new version of hell," David mumbled, sighing. Spot frowned.

"Never took you for a pessimist, love."

"'M not a pessimist. I'm just... nervous," David admitted, glancing over at his boyfriend. Spot took David's hand in his own, smiling. 

"No need to be nervous, Davey. You're the smartest guy I know." Spot kissed David softly. "You've made it this far, no point stopping now just 'cause you're a little nervous."

"They um... They sent me a letter saying they were most likely going to be putting me in the girls' dormitories," David mumbled, biting his nails; It was an old habit that he really needed to kick. "They said that some of the guys would be uncomfortable rooming with me, 'cause, y'know..."

Spot scoffed at that, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"Are you kidding me? They can't do that! That's so unfair," Spot exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. "Just 'cause some dudes are gross transphobes doesn't mean they can just kick you outta the boys' dorms as a whole! Plenty a' guys would be fine rooming with you, like Mush and Specs. I can't believe they're doing that to you."

"I'm sure we'll sort it out," David said calmly, smiling sadly. "Thanks for caring so much."

"Of course I care so much! You're my boyfriend, and I'm not letting them be dicks to you."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

-

_Freshman year of college_

David hesitantly sat down at the swing he'd used to sit at every day with Spot. He winced at the seat left empty next to him, rubbing his eyes harshly in a futile effort to avoid the inevitable tears that would come. 

"I um, I told myself I wouldn't come back here," David started, he voice cracking as he held back a sob, "Not after what happened."

David sighed, a tear finally escaping his eye and falling to the ground. 

"But visiting your grave feels worse," David admitted, running his fingers through his hair nervously. "It's colder. Your presence isn't there. There aren't any memories there besides grieving. But it's different here." 

A small red Cardinal landed on Spot's old swing as Davey spoke. David stared at the Cardinal, smiling at its presence. Spot had always loved Cardinals - He didn't really like birds much, but he had always pointed out Cardinals whenever he saw them. He admired their colors, and told David about how his ma had always said that Cardinals symbolize confidence and movement in life. 

David took solace in the thought that the Cardinal was Spot's presence, and it brought more tears to David's eyes. But these tears were peaceful; Far less violent than the ones he'd shed at the cemetery. The spring wind blew past David, keeping him grounded. 

And suddenly, for the first time in weeks, David almost felt okay. It reminded David of something Spot had always used to say: 'You can't have peace without a war.' 

"I love you," David whispered into the wind, hoping that somehow Spot could hear him from wherever he was now. "Thanks for always being there for me."

**Author's Note:**

> okay so it's not specified what happened to spot, so that's left for your own interpretation there
> 
> also this wasn't very well proof read so like. feel free to point out any mistakes lmao


End file.
